Pent Valley school closure judicial review application blocked

The campaign to save Pent Valley School in Kent has had its application for a Judicial Review refused. The extract below is taken from a joint statement from the campaign and the legal team.

We are naturally disappointed at the decision to close the school but we believe that more importantly it will have a detrimental effect on school students at Pent Valley, and also Folkestone Academy and Brockhill. We remain concerned as to the opportunities afforded Pent valley school students going forward.

We always felt our legal case was sound, but we accept that the reasons given by the court in their refusal reflected the many practical difficulties at Pent Valley.

Those difficulties have been compounded over the years by a council that has refused to properly invest in the school, and when they have done, they have given insufficient time for those many improvements.

We remain extremely sceptical about the process through which this school has been wound down and concerned at the certainty in which it is said that another school will be opened but without any specific information.

Finally, we do not accept that students from Pent valley will not be affected by the move to other schools, and their move will not result in overcrowding in other schools in the area.

We feel that Kent County Council have not acted in the best interests of the school students and parents throughout this process and that the consultation - notwithstanding the courts generous interpretation - was not conducted with openness and a willingness to listen and consult with parents.

We would like to pay tribute in particular to the local mums, dads, school students and trade unionists who have given their time to defending Pent Valley School.